


Heart Sick

by Moonsheen



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Post-Game(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 18:23:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17813102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonsheen/pseuds/Moonsheen
Summary: Post-KHIII, Lea pays a visit to the Radiant Garden to meet some new-old faces. Being a person again is hard.





	Heart Sick

“Ienzo, we require more equipment in the auxiliary for the heart monitors. Have you seen Aeleus or-- GYAH! AXEL!”

Even dropped his clipboard and flinched back, hands raised. Lea blinked, hands in his pockets.

“Lea now,” he said, slowly, tilting his head to one side to follow the line of the scientist cringing backwards. “Got it memorized?”

“Lea,” breathed Even, slowly lowering his hands. He fumbled for his clipboard. “Yes, that’s right. Of course. I-- how did you get in here?”

Lea smirked.

“Don’t you remember?” he said, casually strolling around one of the lab benches. He ran a hand along it. Even warily stepped back without even thinking. “Breaking into the castle used to be a hobby of mine. Not going to tell you all my secrets.”

“You would still move against us?!” asked Even, wild-eyed. 

“Actually I’m telling you Aeleus and Dilan weren’t at the door. Might want to do something about that,” said Lea, dancing his fingers at the edge of the bench. “And I got the intel you guys asked for. So, you know, I’m pulling my weight around here.”

“That’s...fine...then,” said Even, taking a few carefully counted breaths. “You are, a-hem, more than welcome here. Lea. Yes. That’s right. Lea..”

He better have had it memorized with how many times he’d had to repeat the name. Lea reached into his pocket. “Great so--”

“AND YOU WILL TEN STEPS AWAY FROM ME AT ALL TIMES,” screeched Even, on reflex. He leapt back about five feet in an instant.

“Look, about Castle Oblivion--”

Even held the clipboard up like a shield. “I DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.”

“Trying to say I’m sorry? Geez, these apologies get tougher and tougher the more I do ‘em. Look, I couldn’t do anything to you even if I wanted to--”

“I AM NOT INTERESTED IN EXTENDED CONVERSATION WITH YOU. THERE IS NOTHING BETWEEN US THAT WARRANTS ANY INTERACTION AT ALL.”

“--see?” Lea snapped his fingers. Even turned white and clutched his chest. He didn’t quite fall over. He stayed there for an awkward twenty seconds, eyes screwed shut. Then, realizing he was very much alive, he cracked one eye back open.  Lea snapped his finger again. Even flinched back again.

“Stop doing that,” wheezed Even, hand bunching in his cravat. “I have heart now. You may well give it an attack. I’m not young, you know.”

Lea sighed and settled for hanging his hands at his sides, palms up.

“About what you did for us,” said Lea. “For Roxas. And Xion, too.”

“Eh?”

“That was a real tight rope you walked with Organization 2.0,” said Lea.  “And that wasn’t even your specialty. You didn’t exactly have a reason to do me a solid. You just did it ‘cause you felt it was the right thing. I don’t think I’ve ever done the right thing for a reason that wasn’t completely selfish. So. I owe you big time. Thanks.” 

Even went owl-eyed. He still had that weird crooked stare. Lea couldn’t help but find it a relief. At least that was familiar.

“No thanks are needed,” said Even, loftily. Straightening as though he hadn’t just nearly backed into one of the mainframes behind him. “I did what I did in the interest of redemption. A project I continue to work towards. As a scientist of the heart, it should be my duty to continue to benefit the people of this world and others. That includes you and your friends. There need not be any debt between us. We all are responsible for unseemly actions which we are now at liberty to regret, after all.”

Lea brightened. “Great. So I can ask for payment for this intel I retrieved!”

Even bristled. “What?” 

Lea produced the flash drive and flipped it in his hand, ignoring the way Even gulped as it went airborne.  It had a little flame sticker on it. Xion was responsible for making that one.

“Yeah, you know, this info don’t come cheap,” said Lea. “Sure, it’s little easier to do recon when keyblade wielders are authorized to world hop, but a gummi ship is no dark corridor. And I’m buying ice cream for three these days. Munny doesn’t grow on trees, you know.”

“But--atonement,” sputtered Even. “The greater good.”

“Didn’t I just say? I did it all for selfish reasons,” said Lea. “For my friends. One of whom a little birdie who used to be called Demyx told me is currently in your expert care. And if you let me see him, maybe I can be persuaded to hand all this extremely valuable information over. Free of charge.” 

“Excuse me?”

“Ooooh, didn’t get it memorized?” sighed Lea. He pointed as emphasis. Each little jab of his finger caused another little jolt in the scientist, who kept moving his clipboard as if expecting incoming projectiles.  “I hate when you people make me repeat myself. The new. Patient. You have. In the ward. I want--”

Even held up his hand.

“No, I understand,” he said, defeated. “You know he is in a delicate condition, don’t you? He’s hardly fit for visitors. You yourself would understand, being a former Nobody…”

“Then I guess we can discuss other payment options.”

“IF THAT’S ALL THEN FINE. YOU MAY SEE HIM.” Even cleared his throat,  fixing his cravat with a few careful tugs. “If you will just follow me.”

Lea tossed him the flash drive so fast he to bobbled it. Lea used that moment of confusion to strut past him, waving a hand.

“Nah, it’s fine. I know the way.”

He left Even to sputter over that one. Old habits did die a little hard.

* * *

The ward was emptier than the last time Lea had been there. It figured. There probably weren’t going to be many more Nobodies reconstituted unexpectedly in the Castle -- but the newly re-established staff had still set up some curtains around the remaining patient for privacy. Lea wondered whose idea that’d been.  Ienzo, probably. Maybe Aeleus if he was he was in a good mood. Dilan sure as hell wasn’t the type to care for people’s comfort. Lea crept quietly down the row and slid the nearest screen back.

The patient wasn’t hooked up to anything. He lay on his side, back turned to the opening in the curtain. Lea couldn’t tell if he’d been laying that way for long or if he’d turned when he’d heard the fabric shift. 

“Morning, moonshine,” said Lea. He paced around the bed, doing his best to peer under the sheets without touching them. No answer. Well, since that wasn’t a ‘get out’ Lea took that inch for a mile and dragged one of the chairs over from the neighboring tables. 

He wasn’t quiet about it. He thought he saw the patient twitch slightly under the blanket. Lea put his hands behind his head and kicked his feet up.

“Going to pretend I’m not here?” asked Lea. “I’m hurt. After all that trouble I went through trying to exist again, too. You realize if you don’t say anything, I’m just going to keep talking, right?” 

“You’ll keep talking anyway,” muttered the patient, half into his pillow, “Who let you in?”

“Vexy or Zexy, you mean? Neither. Did have a fun chat with Even on my way in, though. Boy could that guy use a massage or something. He’s tense.”

“I mean--” the blankets shifted, sliding slightly off the patient’s bare shoulder as he shifted to glare over it. Lea caught a hint of the curve of his ear-- round, no longer a wolfish point--and the color of his eyes -- dark green. Good. “Who told you I was here?”

“I’ve got my sources,” said Lea, smirking.

“Demyx, then.”

“I’m not at liberty to say,” said Lea. “But yeah, it was totally Demyx. Or whatever he goes by now. Man, that guy can’t keep a secret to save his life. So, what did you say to him to get him all rattled? I had to put five drinks into him  _ and  _ agree to put up posters for his next show before he’d even admit to anything.”

The patient sighed and lowered his head back to his pillow, keeping his face firmly facing away from Lea.

“I simply told him that he would be confined to his quarters if he divulged my location to anyone,” said Isa. “Pending review.”

Lea raised an eyebrow. “Yiiiikes pulled rank on him, huh? Why not threaten his vending machine privileges, while you’re at it. He does know he doesn’t work for you anymore, right?”

“It may occur to him.” There was a hint of smugness there, just a hint. “Eventually.”

“Stone cold. I like it.” 

“I thought you were more the warm and fuzzy type these days.” Again, a shift under the blankets, as though Isa were tempted to turn around again, but stopped himself. “Why are you here, Lea? Come to revel in your victories? Come to laugh at your old foe laid low?”

“Yeah, you know, I kind of thought we were over that. It’s been a lifetime since I’ve seen you.”

“A lifetime.” Isa’s side trembled with a weak laugh. “Is that what you think that was? Well. Enjoy your eyeful. I promise you won’t get another. I will personally see to that fool Demyx now is understands that his loose lips come at the cost of his  _ teeth _ .”

“What eyeful? You’re the one hot dogging it in there.” Lea swung to his feet. “What did you come back with an extra limb or something? You know, that’d be something. They’ll keep you here for another five years studying you if that’s the case. And I’ll just have to break in again. If I recall we got got real good at that.”

“We were terrible at it and you know it.”

“We got in eventually, didn’t we?”

“And see where that led us.” 

Lea rested his hand on the mattress and leaned over him.

“Yeah,” said Lea, suddenly all teeth. He reached across his shoulder, for the edge of the blanket. “Where did that lead us? How about you stop hiding in this stupid castle and actually talk to me.”

_ “Don’t touch me _ .”

Lea’s hand froze. Isa was glaring up at him over his shoulder again. This time Lea could see his whole face. The criss-crossed scar across his forehead, which he’d gotten the day they’d dragged him into the tube to rip his heart out, and his dark green eyes, bloodshot, swollen with tears.   


“Woah,” said Lea. He pulled his hand back, very slowly. “All right. No touchy.” 

“Satisfied?” Isa hissed through his teeth. Flat teeth. The fangs were gone. He rolled back over, pressing his wrist over his shining eyes. “Perhaps you ought carve those insipid marks into me. For what good they did  _ you _ . Damn you. Did it even occur to you I might not want to see you? Not in such a pathetic state.”

He his voice came to a choking halt. He swallowed hard, balling up on the bed. 

“Hits us all pretty hard,” said Lea, distantly. He hovered awkwardly over Isa moment, before settling back on his heels. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Coming back. Even was catatonic for weeks. Ienzo burst into tears his first day back in the lab -- we all pretend like we didn’t hear him crying in the undercroft, but we did. And you should’ve seen Dilan get all misty-eyed the first time a stiff breeze ran over the castle. Dilan! You ever see a guy that barrel-chested get all sniffly? That was something.”

“Is that  supposed to make me feel better?” 

“Not really. Maybe make you feel though, yeah,” said Lea. “I’m just saying I get it. They had me out doing intel again nearly day one, but I sure couldn’t take a bite of an  _ apple  _ without welling up..”

“You’d do that anyway.”

Lea’s head came up. “Hey, I was never that bad. And at least I can admit to it. Stupid it as it can be sometimes.  _ You  _ were the one who’s always been trash at emotions. Even when you were human. The first time you were human.”

Isa tried another bitter laugh. It came out more like a hiccuping sob. 

“Go be with your friends, Lea,” he managed. 

“I’m doing that right now,” said Lea.

That earned him one bleary-eyed, confused glare. But Isa then rolled away again, pulling tighter around himself on the bed. The sheets came off the edge of the mattress.

“Fine,” said Lea, with a wave of his hand. “Keep the buster sword up your ass. I got a gummiphone now. You can call me whenever you’re ready to believe I’m not here to laugh it up. I’ll leave my number with Ienzo. I’d leave it with Even, but I think he might implode.”

Lea turned to go, but he found a tugging pressure holding him back. Isa’s hand had hooked around the edge of his jacket. Blunt nails, cracked and bitten down. Scarred knuckles. Scars all the way up his arm too, which was bare. Lea remembered how much it hurt even to wear  _ clothes  _ that first week human again. Everything hurt, being real again. 

“Don’t.” Isa swallowed, his voice could barely clear a whisper. He shook, just a bit. For once, it wasn’t in barely contained rage. “Don’t make me say it.” 

“You’ll have to eventually,” said Lea. But he turned around and held his arms open.

He was still a little surprised when Isa threw back his blanket and pressed his head against his stomach, like a whining dog. 

“Just don’t,” Isa rasped, sniffling right into Lea’s new shirt. But when his arm wound around Lea’s waist, Lea took that as permission to settle his hand over his exposed, scarred back. The muscles twitched and shivered under the sudden new-old brush of a warm palm, but Isa accepted it.

“Fine,” said Lea, fingers naturally finding the old gnarled lines along his shoulder blade. “I got nowhere else to be.”

“Ah, the old lies.”

“All right. They keep me busy,” said Lea. “I’ve got ten worlds I have to gather info for  _ yesterday _ . But let’s just say I’ve got more important things right now than all that? How’s that sound?”

“Hm,” said Isa, winding his other arm around him. Maybe he didn’t believe him just yet. When Ienzo walked in, got completely the wrong idea about the position they were in, and excused himself rapidly (“THE CLEANING SOLUTIONS ARE OVER THERE HYGIENE IS VERY IMPORTANT IN AN INFIRMARY SETTING GOODBYE”), Isa growled like a beast -- but he didn’t let go. 


End file.
